ユメかウツツか 2 [Yume ka Utsutsu ka 2]

ユメかウツツか [Yume ka Utsutsu ka] #2

by Io Sakisaka, 咲坂伊緒

頭の中だけの存在だった想（そう）と現実の時間を重ねていくうちに同級生たちとも打ちとけはじめた“いろは”。夏休みはみんなでお祭りへ行くことに！　「会話の練習」を重ねるなかでいろはの両親のこと…想が留年してしまった理由…ふたりは心の柔らかいところに触れていく――　だれかを好きになる喜びあふれる第2巻

Genres: Manga

184 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2025

About the author

Io Sakisaka (咲坂伊緒) is a Japanese manga artist. She also designed the characters for the anime movie HAL. Her works are:

-Call My Name (2001)
-Watashi no Koibito (2002)
-Bye-Bye, Little (2002)
-Blue (2006)
-Mascara Blues (2007)
-Strobe Edge (2007)
-Ao Haru Ride (2011)
-Sono Omokage o Shitteru (2013) (oneshot)
-Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare (2015)
-Otome no Itari (2020) (oneshot)
-Sakura, Saku (2021)

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Thanks to Viz and Edelweiss for a copy of this manga in exchange for an unbiased review.]

While not the most dynamic hero, I am starting to warm up to Iroha and her struggles quite a bit. I liked the way that Igarashi has decided to step in as wingman and she quickly arranges a way for Iroha and Akutsu to meet during the summer.

That lets us tick the festival date off the scorecard early on, yukata ahoy, but there’s a last minute twist involving Iroha’s grandfather. It’s a sweet little moment that lets us know that Iroha is a good egg, plus provides Akutsu with the chance to make another of his patented entrances (he’s two for two on great appearances over two volumes now!).

I’m not sure what I was expecting the reason behind Akutsu losing a year of school to be, but I assure you I wasn’t expecting it to be what it was. The way this is immediately plumbed for two different plot points is classic territory for Io Sakisaka.

And it gives Iroha the push to open up about the loss of her parents, which is more a void than a trauma for her, since she was too young to remember them. She’s taken some grief for her lack thereof, same as Akutsu has for his currently flattened emotions.

Oh yes, he never expects to be able to know what love is again, which means this is shifting into the ‘I can fix him!’ genre of romance, but I’m not mad at it. This isn’t an implausible scenario based on his particular experience, I looked it up, so I will give it a pass.

And when some random girl, who I have to think will be more than happy to cause trouble later, gets rejected, she sends Iroha down a bit of a spiral in terms of how she wants to exist in Akutsu’s mind and how she probably is (which is a lie, she’s doing great, but shh…).

Leading to the very reasonable notion that these two might just be good for one another in a mutually beneficial sort of way. Which sounds like a ‘well, duh’, except I’d argue that that has not always been the case in this mangaka’s series. This feels different and I’m not mad at that either.

I do wish the hook with fake Akutsu had come back, it barely appears except for one delicious mention. That may indicate that Iroha is becoming more integrated with reality, but it’s so dang fast that it robs a bit of the uniqueness from the first volume.

Also, weird as it is to say, I found the heartfelt home visit where Akutsu gets Iroha to open up about being lonely a bit too much, too soon. I think Akutsu is totally reasonable in not being too grief-stricken from being unable to remember her parents.

For one, it really downplays the great job her grandfather did. For two, it feels like Akutsu blasts her with a therapy beam given how quickly she reverses position on this. Oh, sure, it was probably there the whole time, I just question the method used to get there. It feels a touch fast.

The rest of it is vintage shojo, and not in a bad way. There’s a certain feel I’ve come to expect from this type of story and it is on full display here. That we see it tackling some different emotional issues is a nice way to distinguish it. Bonus points for Igarashi falling into the same pattern she called somebody else out on last time; nice touch.

4 stars - there is a whiff of melodrama here, but I would suggest that Io Sakisaka has had a long and fulfilling career based entirely on melodrama, so why rock the boat now? On its terms, it is still a solid read.

[Kristin ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I am kind of obsessed, now let's wait another hundred years for more chapters :')

[Leila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abbiamo già finito di parlare dell'amico immaginario?
Nonostante ciò, mi ha presa quindi bene?

[Vivienne Beloved · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siamo solo al 2° volume e questa serie continua a migliorare. Trovo affascinante il fatto che Akutsu dopo l'operazione al cervello non sia più capace di provare intensamente le emozioni umane. Ciò mi dá da pensare, soprattutto quando si dimostra affettuoso, anche fisicamente, con la protagonista. Non prova proprio nulla quando la consola e l'abbraccia?
Comunque sia, questo affievolimento di emozioni non giova di sicuro a favore di Iroha, che sembra abbia appurato il fatto di essere innamorata di lui.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

I'm really enjoying this series so far! I'm glad that Iroha is actually pushing herself to talk to more people. You can already tell how much she has grown since the first volume. I also really like Akutsu. I'm curious to find out more about his backstory and illness. He's so kind, especially to Iroha, and it makes me really excited to see their relationship grow. I'm also really curious about Rino, I'm sure she will make an appearance eventually.

The art is super pretty too. This series is really reminding me why I love shojo manga so much. The growing friendships, the first love, the sparkles, everything is just so fun to read.

[Shiritaku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hach, ich fühl mich beim Lesen richtig entspannt. Wie die beiden miteinander umgehen, ist ziemlich wholesome und calming. So ein miteinander wünscht man sich doch 🫶 man erfährt mehr über die beiden und sie öffnen sich dem anderen gegenüber immer weiter. Iroha wird sich ihrer Gefühle immer bewusster, kann sie aber nicht in Worte fassen und durch eine Erkenntnis beschließt sie, diese auch erstmal für sich zu behalten. Zum Schluss hin bahnt sich dann schon etwas Drama an.. da bin ich gespannt, wie das bei der Thematik eingearbeitet wird. Jedenfalls macht's Spaß zu lesen und ich freu mich schon auf den nächsten Band 💕

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh Iroha’s little chubby baby face in that picture was so cute!!! She’s just too cute and awkward. I love it.

Akutsu’s medical condition makes me nervous. I always did wonder if getting brain surgery of any type might affect your brain in certain ways… I do feel sad for his ex. That had to be terrible for both of them. I wonder when she will show up… because this ain’t a Sakisaka manga without some ex showing up to ruin things lol. Or maybe Akutsu will remember his feelings for Rino? We will see!

[Cassandra]

I liked this one a bit less than the first volume cause it felt more like typical shy girl shoujo into emotionally unavailable ML. I missed the imagination portion of the first volume and I felt her confessions verbal and internal felt fast so the pay off wasn't as there for me. But I loved her family, they seem wonderful and her classmates learning how to be there for her without being overbearing. I also like Akutsu's hair design, it feels different from a manga standpoint.

5/6 stars

[Chiara · Rating 2 out of 5]

È tutto così banale e insulso e visto e stravisto o sono io troppo vecchia ciabatta per tutto questo?
Molto bellina la scena in cui si parla dei genitori di lei e di quello che lei prova a riguardo.
La cosa del tumore al cervello però no, dai, Sakisaka sensei.

[Rei · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Looove the characters and that our protagonists are not wasting their time neither ours

[stardust · Rating 5 out of 5]

that new girl ughhh she's so annoying

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me so emotional when she admitted that she was alone💔

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Direi 2 e mezzo. La verve dei protagonisti di Ao Haru Ride non si raggiunge più...